A Letter

A Letter from Our Director

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A Letter

A Letter from Our Director

As someone whose career has spanned everything from circus performance to management consulting, I am constantly impressed by people. Individually, humans can be incredible learners, capable of resilience and adaptation; in well-organized teams, we can accomplish even more.

As a performer, I’ve always been a proponent of the spontaneous connections that take place when exceptional people come together. In early 2016, I had the pleasure of producing a day-long "Un-conference" on the Future of Work. Attendee enthusiasm was overwhelming, and I saw the need for an annual conference exploring work in the 21st Century. Thus, the Responsive Conference was born.

My goal for the Responsive Conference is not just to talk about human development and organization change, but to create a learning experience where we can embody these ideas. I am committed to making the entire process an experiment in culture, from the advisory board, to the production team, to the curation of presenters and attendees, to the experience of the conference itself.

I am thrilled to be entering our fourth year and look forward to sharing this experience with you.

Meet the Team

Robin zander, Founder & EXECUTIVE director

With a diverse background ranging from management consulting to the circus, Robin has spent his career working with individuals and companies to improve performance.

He works with start-up founders and HR professionals to improve company culture. Through individual coaching and team trainings he implements practices such as remote work, transparency, and non-hierarchical organizing.

Grace Moen, Head of Production

Grace is a writer and event producer who writes book reviews and about architecture for Luxe magazine. She has produced events for TEDxPortland, Health 2.0, Design Museum, Design Week Portland, Responsive Conference and more.

It’s the choreography of technical elements woven with educational content that gets her out of bed every day. She lives in Portland, Ore where you are likely to find her at the climbing gym.

WILLOW RAE, PRODUCTION AND MARKETING

Willow is an organizer and event producer whose passion lies at the intersection of human behavior and experience design. Their work explores how we can shift business and education practices to help individuals and teams to more effectively execute their mission and feel more fulfilled in their work. Event production brings together their passion for people, love of learning, and creative drive to organize.

Deb Seidman, Lead Facilitator

Deb is a creative and collaborative consultant, facilitator and coach with a passion for working with leaders and their teams to increase their effectiveness and improve organizational performance.

She established Green Silk Associates in 2009 and, since then, has helped a wide range of clients such as UBS, Pfizer, Save the Children, and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to implement organizational change strategies. Her areas of expertise include leadership and team effectiveness, performance management, and talent management.

A core tenet of the Responsive Org Movement and this conference is the sharing of information. In creating the Responsive Conference, we have had the support of many individuals and companies with new ideas and experiences. Paying it forward,, we are dedicated to helping others create their own Responsive Events.

#ResponsiveCoffee

Informal coffeeshop meet-ups for people to gather and discuss the various themes of being a #responsiveorg.

Unconferences

Un-conferences are events designed by attendees. Anyone can propose a talk or discussion format. Our community will come together to explore issues at the intersection of rapidly developing technologies, an evolving workforce hungry for meaning, and more access to novel solutions than ever before.

Some of the tools and methodologies we bring to the table include (but are not limited by) Responsive.org, Agile, LEAN, Holacracy, DevOps, DNI (Diversity and Inclusion), and Reinventing Organizations.